Story line
Last season, junior guard J'Covan Brown averaged 20.1 points per game, took over 25 percent of the team's shots and attempted a team-high 80 3-pointers. Brown decided to skip his senior season for the NBA Draft, leaving Texas without a proven go-to scorer. With a roster that features seven freshmen and five sophomores, the Longhorns are a team that needs a No. 1 scorer plus players who can support the man man.

Coach Barnes says
"The one question that I think we've got to answer is can we get some consistent scoring from a couple different guys. We really do think that we're going to be a team that's going to be balanced and one we're doing with some of the things that we've always tried to do to get the ball inside. ... With the guys that we have, we know that we're going to play 11 guys because of where we are right now. We've gone back to really talking a lot about accountability and efficiency and having everyday players and guys that we can count on."

Notable
Texas made its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament last season, a school record. That streak is among the best in the nation and 2nd in the Big 12 to Kansas, which has appeared in 23 consecutive NCAAs. ... Among Big 12 coaches, UT coach Rick Barnes has the most victories (342), most Big 12 victories (160) and most victories in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with 19. ... Texas had one of the top recruiting classes according to the major recruiting services. ESPN.com ranked UT's class No. 4, CBSSports.com ranked it No. 8 and MaxPreps.com ranked it No. 11.